Music coverage by and for people who really like music...

December 19, 2012

Video Free Silver Lake: Christmas Spectacular 2012

By Jed

I'm shocked to realize that this is my FOURTH Christmas Spectacular for Video Free Silver Lake, and still hardly a repeated video! Hopefully these following videos will entertain and inform. To all a belated happy Hanukah, a Merry Christmas and a Gleðileg Jól!

1) I discovered (though facebook) a contest put on by an Icelandic charity that involved inviting various Icelandic businesses to record their own Christmas song and video (typically either a cover of already existing Christmas song or a conversion of a non-Christmas song into a Christmas song). While I thought all 15 of the submissions were delightful, one of my Icelandic friends to whom I showed some of these videos found them to be "God Awful." Enjoy one of my favorite submissions by Tryggingamiðstöðin (I have no clue what they do). The song is "Höldum við jól" (I believe it translates to "We are thinking about Christmas"), and it's an Icelandic version of the Bee-Gees' "How Deep is Your Love?" It is heartwarming. Although I may have detected a bizarre reference to Jews somewhere in the middle of the song...

2) Unrelated to the contested, the Icelandic variety show Hljóskálinn released a delightful Icelandic cover of "Little Drummer Boy" (a la David Bowie and Bing Crosby) performed by Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson from Retro Stefson and Sigtryggur Baldursson, the drummer from the Sugarcubes. The cover is called "Klukkan tifar."

5) I'm not hugely for the Dropkick Murphys, but their new video for "The Season's Upon Us"is both watcheable and listenable.

6) Probably overplayed on the internet by now, but since I never really enjoyed Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You" until I heard this version with Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, I'll share it again:

7) I had imagined that the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's "Fairytale of New York" was a tired cliche, but after having discovered Maccoll's magnificent larger body of work early this year, also discovered that many, many of my colleagues had never heard this most famous Christmas song. Why, if any of YOU readers belong in this category, I will introduce it to you as well! This live version captures a wet, dark, drunk Christmas feeling I've only once experienced live, and hope to see again:

8) In years past, I have posted Swedish sisters' First Aid Kit's fantastic version of "Blue Christmas", but this year I will merely post a short video of them talking about Sweden's bizarre Christmas tradition of watching Donald Duck (covered by Slate in 2009).

9) How is it possible that after several consecutive years of posting of Murdered Man's "Christmas in Little Armenia", the video has little over 2,300 views? Why don't you find out for yourself?

10) I've been listening to Icelandic Christmas songs more or less non-stop the last few weeks, and am ready to name my favorite to be "Ég hlakka svo til" (I think this means "I'm so looking forward to it", but I could be wrong) by Svala Björgvinsdóttir. Now, before you accuse me of unnecessarily bombarding you with Icelandic music on this holiday, may I remind you that this (huge hit in the late 1980s) was recorded by Svala when she was but a child. But where is she now? She grew to become Kali of L.A.'s house music duo Steed Lord (currently on tour in Iceland, but expected to return after the new year)!!! Who would have ever imagined?????!!!

11) Not strictly a video, but "listen" here to the Monolators' original Christmas song "Santa Claus vs. Dave Matthews" released last year:

Remember to email me this week at RFSLjed at gmail dot com with your favorite NEW YEARS related songs...